Poverty and Its Relative Definitions Essay

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As chambers (3-5) argue, regardless of the varying notions held by different individuals on ways of estimating the basic idea of subsistence, all measuring criteria used to gauge subsistence must measure the level of infrastructural development and the availability of sound living conditions. Therefore, because of the differences in measurement criteria used by different people to ascertain the level of development, different individuals have defined poverty in diverse ways.

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In most life scenarios, most individuals assume poverty to be a lack of material wealth. Although this is a belief held by most individuals, the assumptions of this definition lack because they do not take into consideration the factors that surround and contribute to the deprivation of basic living necessities.

In addition, although many individuals may define poverty by considering the unavailability of certain basic amenities or means of subsistence, depending on the region and the level of development of that region, poverty can have different definitions hence, the need for an all-inclusive definition. Considering this, poverty is a human living condition, where individuals lack primary survival needs in required standards, the required representation and power to stand and empower themselves and their respective communities.

Defining Poverty

The majority of poor individuals are entangled in the struggle for survival and provision of elementary wants. Considering this, firstly, poverty is a lacking human condition, where individuals cannot afford to provide for themselves primary survival needs that include water, education, food, security, and shelter. Going hand in hand with this is the availability and the condition of these wants. For example, a society may have plenty of water, but the question is, is this water sufficient and safe for human use? In addition, if this water is safe for consumption, are their enough drainage facilities to facilitate the supply of this water to every homestead, and to drive away dirty water?

Therefore, poverty is not all about the missing of some basic survival wants, but it is about the condition of this wants, which makes it hard for people to access and enjoy them. On the other hand, although an area can have facilities, for example, schools, the attendance of such schools depends on many factors, which may include the security of an area, their accessibility, and availability of public systems that support such schools. Hence, if all this is lacking, then that area is poor, not in educational facilities but in supportive amenities (World Bank 1).

Depending on the social class of society, poverty is relative. The society has a natural way of defining different levels of poverty among individuals depending on their social status. For example, in a society, not all individuals can afford certain neighborhood amenities, for instance, electricity and social amenities. In addition, although individuals can afford these amenities, the quality they can afford to pay for varies. For instance, not all individuals within a society can afford private medical healthcare or insurances. Because the majority of these facilities are important in breaking the poverty cycle, it is important to include the variability concept in defining poverty.

In addition to poor people lacking basic survival necessities, the majority of poor people lack the required representation to voice their needs. In addition, lack of representation is the primary cause of the economic difficulties communities defined as a poor face, as most of these communities lack proper development institutions to empower their members. Further, unless tamed, lack of empowerment can result in a community that lacks the basic survival needs, as most individuals belonging to these communities do little to cater to their needs. Therefore, individuals who are less empowered on how to improve their living standards are poor people, as most of them lag behind in development (Chambers 5-12).

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Conclusion

In conclusion, in defining poverty, it is important to include the disparities that exist between different social classes, the level of empowerment of society, and the quality of amenities considered important for human survival.

Works Cited

Chambers, Robert. .United Nations Development Center. 2006. Web.

World Bank Group. What is poverty? World Bank,. 2010. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024) 'Poverty and Its Relative Definitions'. 8 February.

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Poverty and Its Relative Definitions." February 8, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/poverty-and-its-relative-definitions/.

1. IvyPanda. "Poverty and Its Relative Definitions." February 8, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/poverty-and-its-relative-definitions/.


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